Kissing The Moon Goodbye - A Midnight Mafia Novel

Forty Three

Kate ;Five weeks later ;

"Alright. I'm, uh, going to work."

I turned my head as far as I could from the couch to watch Uncle Sammy as he stood in the tiny kitchen in his uniform. He was worried about me, more today than any other day.

"Okay."

"If you need me, you call me, okay?"

"Okay."

"I mean it Katie, even if you just, I don't know, run out of bread or something. I can stop home."

"Ohh-kayy." This time I dragged the word out like a teenager annoyed with her parental.

He stared at me. Uncertain. "Okay. Here I go."

"Have a nice day."

He stopped at the door, completely unconvinced. "Call me."

He left the apartment and I turned back to the television and took a bite of a donut. He was especially worried today. I mean, he'd been worried a lot lately. Worried when he come home from Italy under the impression I was still overseas to find me collapsed on the apartment floor too hysterical to breathe or get up, he'd literally called 911. He was worried when they prescribed me Xanax and I spent most of my days staring at the hole in the ceiling from the dinner Alessio had met him and my father at. Worried when I had taken a pair of kitchen scissors to my hair. He was worried when I allowed the doctors to remove my cast without any sort of fight or break down. And he was worrieded when I decided I didn't want to go into writing again, I wanted something meaningless and empty to fill my days so I started working at a call center. And he was worried today.

The day I was supposed to be getting married.

I took a bigger bite of my donut.

Nash was the first to call me. I answered with my mouth still full. "Herro?"

"Morning Kate-pie! How are you today?"

"Ood."

"Good, good. So, tell me all about your plans for the day. Hey by the way, did I tell you Ellie did the cutest thing the other day. She was dancing, you know how she's in dance, and out of no where she says she misses you. I mean, it's the weekend, we don't have any plans, I've got a ton of vacation time, we haven't seen you since your stay here, we could catch a plane, have some dinner, maybe stay a few days-"

"I'm not so fragile, you don't have to keep checking up on me. It's just another day Nash." Nash had been the first to come to my rescue, rather than fly back to Ohio, he had flown to New York where he picked me up off the ground, literally, and brought me back to Ohio with him for over a week. It had cost him his girlfriend, he said she was out the door as it was, the events from Italy had practically traumatized her and I was just the cherry on top. It had been good for me, to stay with Nash for a bit. I had done nothing productive or helpful, but to be with him, and not in the apartment was good.

My cousin Tera, despite our family relationship, had sided with Alessio, not that it was ever explicitly said or sides were left to be chosen with, but he had essentially saved her life, returned to her her sobriety and her family and how anyone could hate a man caring enough to do that was beyond her. As she was now living in the apartment with us, having that bit of time away from scrutiny and disagreement was good for me. Nash was good for me, and good for my hair, he'd made sure to get the mess I'd cut up fixed as well.